Raiatea to Opua
Leopard 45 delivery French Polynesia to Opua
We are experienced Leopard catamaran delivery skippers with extensive offshore multihull delivery experience throughout the South Pacific.
This Leopard delivery was from French Polynesia and delivered to Opua, completing a South Pacific passage that took the vessel from the tropics to New Zealand ahead of the cyclone season.
We joined this Leopard 45 in French Polynesia to prepare the vessel for its passage south to New Zealand. This route is one of the most common seasonal relocations in the South Pacific, with many cruising yachts leaving the islands each year before cyclone activity increases across the region.
Before departure, attention focused on offshore preparation and provisioning. Once clear of French Polynesia there are no convenient opportunities to stop, making it important to ensure the vessel, equipment and onboard stores were ready for several weeks at sea.
The Leopard 45 is a popular offshore cruising catamaran and well suited to passages of this nature. The design offers a good balance between accommodation, carrying capacity and passagemaking performance. For delivery work, practical features such as accessible systems, good visibility and manageable sail handling become particularly valuable during extended offshore passages.
After departure, the passage settled into a routine of watchkeeping, weather monitoring and sail management. Daily decisions were largely focused on maintaining efficient progress while positioning the yacht favourably for the changing weather patterns encountered when moving south from the tropics towards New Zealand.
One of the key aspects of this route is the transition between climate zones. Conditions experienced leaving French Polynesia can be very different from those encountered during the final stages of the voyage approaching New Zealand. Routing decisions become increasingly important as vessels move into higher latitudes where weather systems become more active and sea states more variable.
The Leopard 45 performed well throughout the crossing, maintaining comfortable daily runs while providing a stable platform for the crew. Catamarans of this size have become a common sight on South Pacific delivery routes, reflecting their popularity among owners undertaking extended cruising programmes.
Arrival in Opua marked the completion of another successful relocation from French Polynesia to New Zealand. The Bay of Islands remains one of the primary arrival points for yachts entering New Zealand from the Pacific and continues to be an important hub for cruising, maintenance and vessel handovers for skippers.
